Fujitsu Develops New Attended Checkout Solution for Auchan

Fujitsu CEMEA&I

Fujitsu’s U-Reverse is the first hybrid checkout concept deployed in a hypermarket

Evens traffic flow to manned Point of Services (POS) by supporting carts of under 20 items with a self-service option

At peak times this hybrid solution allows employees to support the scanning phase to reduce waiting time and increase interactivity with customers

This new technology and associated methods improve store efficiency while meeting customer and retailer expectations to deliver a more customer-oriented experience

Dusseldorf/Munich, February 17, 2014

Fujitsu today announces the development of a new attended Point of Service (POS) concept for Groupe Auchan SA, the French international retail group and multinational corporation. This new hybrid solution U-Reverse, is branded in Auchan stores as the ‘Trolley Express.’ It is designed for flexibility in queue management to better meet customers’ needs and service expectations.

Alongside other checkout systems, Fujitsu’s U-Reverse is now being deployed in four Auchan hypermarkets, including its two newest stores in Aéroville and Epinay-sur-Seine in France. U-Reverse is one of the retail-specific industry solutions offered by Fujitsu to drive greater efficiency and profitability throughout the retail value chain.

Auchan is continuously working to improve customer experience at its hypermarket checkouts, while driving a more customer-centric approach for its employees. To achieve this, the company turned to Fujitsu, a trusted innovation partner for more than twenty years and with which it first implemented the mobile solutions scanners called Rapid'Auchan. The new agile U-Reverse system from Fujitsu allows Auchan to scale up or down to meet changing demand, delivering measurable improvements in efficiency especially during peak periods.

U-Reverse, the first hybrid attended checkout solution in the hypermarket industry, allows store operators to rapidly switch between attended-service mode and traditional cashier-operated mode in less than two minutes to reduce long lines as soon as they begin to form. These cash-recycling checkouts also reduce stress for employees, as staff do not need to handle cash and run a manual balance when opening and closing tills.

Further retail-specific industry solutions provided to Auchan by Fujitsu:

Self-checkout (hardware and software) and payment station technology already in place in half of Auchan’s French hypermarkets, as well as in other European countries such as Russia and Poland - including cash and cashless systems

Fujitsu also provides software maintenance and support services to 130 Auchan hypermarkets in France, and in several countries worldwide.

Supporting quotes

David Concordel, Senior Vice President Global Retail, International Business, Fujitsu
“Auchan is focused on effectively using technology to improve both store operational efficiency as well as the retail experience for customers and employees. Fujitsu and Auchan have teamed up to implement an end-to-end retail solution that is creating efficiencies throughout the value chain, changing the way the retail industry works, and noticeably helping to improve the shopping experience for consumers.”

Valérie Vendeville, Marketing Director, Head of POS Line of Business, Auchan, France
“For more than twenty years Auchan has been able to rely on Fujitsu as a key partner to provide state-of-the-art technologies that make our ambitious retail plans a reality. We at Auchan are convinced that Fujitsu’s solutions are well suited to addressing the major challenges in the consumer retail environment.”

Pricing and availability

Fujitsu’s hardware and software solutions for retail, including U-Scan Genesis, are available to retail customers globally through Fujitsu. Pricing is based on location and configuration.

At EuroCIS you can find Fujitsu at booth C75 in hall 6 from February 16 to 20, 2014. Please visit us at the stand or contact us to arrange an interview with one of our retail experts.

About Fujitsu

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company offering a full range of technology products, solutions and services. Approximately 170,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.4 trillion yen (US$47 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

About Fujitsu CEMEAI

In Continental Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India, Fujitsu is the leading IT infrastructure provider with a presence in all key markets serving large, medium-sized and small businesses. The company offers a full portfolio of IT products, business solutions and services, ranging from workplace systems to datacenter solutions, managed services, and cloud-based software and solutions. In CEMEA&I Fujitsu employs approximately 13,000 people and is part of the global Fujitsu Group. For more information, please see: ts.fujitsu.com/aboutus.

All other company or product names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Information provided in this press release is accurate at time of publication and is subject to change without advance notice.